


all that stuff we're so scared of

by elizaham8957



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Amusement Parks, F/M, Fluff, Halloween, Happy Halloween Folks, Haunted Houses, Humor, Zombies, also the fact that there's 6666 words INORDINATELY pleases me, i'm terrible with deadlines it's fine, this is just barely technically being posted on halloween OKAY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27320350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizaham8957/pseuds/elizaham8957
Summary: Dany’s beginning to very much regret letting her friends ever talk her into coming to this thing.“It’ll be fun!” Missandei had insisted, to which Dany had raised an eyebrow. How could it be more fun than their usual routine of dressing up and going out dancing?“We need a change of pace,” Margaery had said, her doe eyes imploring. “Please say yes, Dany! It’ll be the best Halloween yet.”Standing now outside amidst hundreds of other people weaving between Halloween-decorated rides and attractions, bundled up in a jacket to combat the chill in the late autumn air, Dany knows for a fact that her friends were dead wrong.
Relationships: Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen
Comments: 75
Kudos: 336





	all that stuff we're so scared of

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO HELLO yes I know I said this fic would be up on Halloween but I JUST BARELY MADE IT OKAY. Even though the publication date is gonna say Nov 1st WHATEVER.
> 
> Anyways this is extremely dumb but I enjoyed writing it immensely so I hope you enjoy reading it! Also as I finished writing it at 11:35 I did NOT edit it. Huge shoutout to my lovely beta Fer for checking to make sure it wasn't garbage while I frantically made a moodboard. Speaking of I suffered emotional trauma to make this moodboard because I HATE haunted houses and had no desire to see photos of zombies in one but alas here we are. The things I do for my art.
> 
> Even if this is insanely late and you consequently have to read it after the official end of spooky season I hope you enjoy!! Title is from Tunnel of Love lol. Fingers crossed this isn't a mess; I'll probably proofread tomorrow. After this it's all BICBTY as that is my NaNo project this year so if y'all are reading that fic I will catch you soon with the next update of that! Let me know what you think and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/146793737@N07/50553483402/in/dateposted-public/)

Dany’s beginning to _very much_ regret letting her friends ever talk her into coming to this thing. 

“It’ll be fun!” Missandei had insisted, to which Dany had raised an eyebrow. How could it be more fun than their usual routine of dressing up and going out dancing? 

“We need a change of pace,” Margaery had said, her doe eyes imploring. “Please say yes, Dany! It’ll be the best Halloween yet.” 

Standing now outside amidst hundreds of other people weaving between Halloween-decorated rides and attractions, bundled up in a jacket to combat the chill in the late autumn air, Dany knows for a fact that her friends were dead wrong. 

“This is so cool,” Missandei says, leaning into Dany, and she forces a smile. Dany has no desire to be negative when her friend is clearly excited, but even now, she’s not really on board with this whole plan. Halloween is for fun costumes and drinking and dancing until the early hours of the morning. Not— amusement parks. Not shivering outside in the cold night air. Dany had always thought she’d left that part of Halloween behind when she outgrew trick or treating, but apparently not. 

The place does look cool, she has to admit. They’ve decorated it to the nines, lights and spiderwebs tangled in all the trees, huge carved pumpkin displays lining the walkways, performers in costume traipsing through the crowd. The last time she was here, it was the summertime, and _daylight._ The way the park looks now is almost unrecognizable. 

She eyes the performer closest to them warily— he’s a scarecrow, she thinks, though he’s dripping in fake blood, a prop chainsaw that he keeps revving clutched in his hands. A group of younger girls next to him scream, and he turns on them, following them as they stumble over each other, trying to get away in a fit of laughter. 

Dany knows the performers are just people in costume, but they’re like horses— they smell fear, and the moment they do they pounce; the bigger reaction you give them, the more insistent they’ll be. Those poor girls never stood a chance. 

“You alright, Dany?” Missandei says, and Dany snaps out of her reverie, meeting her best friend’s gaze. 

“Of course,” she says, grinning at her, hoping it looks genuine. “Sorry. I’m just a bit cold.” 

Missandei laughs, rolling her eyes. “I told you you should have worn a warmer scarf,” her friend teases. 

“I know,” Dany laments. “Sorry. Generally when we come here it’s summertime.” 

Missandei’s gaze softens, and Dany realizes that trying to keep up appearances around her best friend is pointless, because no one knows her better than the other woman. “I really appreciate you agreeing to this,” she says. “I know you’d much rather be out dancing.” 

Dany rolls her eyes. “It’s fine, Dei. I don’t _really_ mind. I just…” she shrugs. “I don’t see the appeal, I suppose.” 

“Really?” Missandei says. “No judgement. But everything is so festive! And the haunted houses look amazing!” 

That’s the main draw, of course, the crowning jewel of the park’s Fright Nights throughout October: the haunted houses that have been erected throughout the place. Each has a different theme, or so Margaery claims— zombie apocalypse, haunted pirate island, killer circus, the works. Dany can see the queue for the one closest to them, and it wraps almost all the way around to the next ride. 

_This would probably be a fantastic time to ride rollercoasters,_ she can’t help but wistfully think. Clearly the lines for the rides are nowhere near as long as usual, if everyone’s so desperate to get into the haunted houses. 

“I don’t know,” Dany says, shrugging. “I’m not really a fan of haunted houses.” 

Margaery turns around to face them, her jaw dropped. “What?!” she squawks, and Dany can’t help but laugh at her outrage. “What the hells, Dany?! Why didn’t you say that before?” 

Dany shrugs. “I could tell you really wanted to come. It’s fine, really. Don’t worry about it.” She fixes both of them with a teasing glare. “But just know— I’m making you ride that rollercoaster I love later as retribution.” 

“That seems perfectly reasonable,” Margaery says. “You two can have fun while I watch from the chicken exit.” 

“C’mon, Marge,” Missandei teases. “You can survive the killer circus haunted house but not a _rollercoaster?”_

“Yes,” Margaery says, making Dany laugh. “Clowns? Fine. But going upside down?” She shudders. “No thank you.” 

The three of them laugh together, Dany’s cheeks hurting from both the chilly air and from smiling. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all, even if she is forced through a slew of haunted houses. She’s with her friends, and that’s what really matters. 

Maragery’s phone dings, and she digs it out of her pocket, eyes lighting up when she reads the message. “Sansa and all them finally got here!” she reports. “They’re in line at the apocalypse one— I think that’s this one,” Margaery says, looking up from her phone to the haunted house right across the way. “Let’s go meet them, yeah?” 

Missandei grins hugely, linking arms with Dany and following Margaery as she leads them off through the crowd in search of the rest of their friends. 

“Margaery!” she hears someone call, and they all turn towards the sound of the voice, Sansa’s bright red hair like a beacon amongst the crowd. Margaery waves, pulling Missandei and Dany along behind her. Theon and Myrcella are with her, as well as a couple guys that Dany vaguely recognizes, who she’s probably met in bars before. 

“Hey!” Margaery says, hugging Myrcella in greeting. “We weren’t sure you all made it!” 

“No, we’re here,” Myrcella says. “Sorry. It took Trystane _ages_ to get ready.” 

“Rude,” her boyfriend says, shooting her a wounded look. Margaery just laughs at them, hugging him in greeting too. 

“My brothers followed us as well,” Sansa says with a roll of her eyes, nodding to the two men next to her. 

“Not true,” Robb says, affronted. “We followed Theon. It’s just unfortunate he happens to be friends with you as well.” That earns him another roll of the eyes from Sansa. 

Dany’s not surprised in the slightest to see Robb Stark— he and Margaery have been flirting with each other like teenagers for weeks now, and it seems every time they hang out with Sansa he conveniently shows up. The other brother, though, Dany doesn't recognize— his curls are longer than Robb’s, and darker too, though he has them bound back. “You know Robb, of course, and this is Jon. Jon, this is Daenerys, Missandei, and Margaery.” 

“Hi,” Missandei offers brightly, smiling at the both of them. Robb grins back widely, his eyes flitting to Margaery, but Jon just nods his head a little, the hint of a smile pulling at his lips in greeting. 

They all chat as the line crawls along, bringing them closer and closer to the front of the haunted house. Dany eyes it warily a few times— it doesn’t _look_ like anything special from the outside. It’s basically an enormous tent they’ve shoved in between some of the rides, but she knows whatever is inside is probably much more horrifying. 

“What’s wrong, Dany?” Theon asks, looking at her with that ever-present smirk of his. He’s a good guy, she supposes, but _gods,_ Dany cannot comprehend how Sansa puts up with his shit-eating grins all the time. “You’re not scared, are you?” 

“I’m not,” Dany says, and she means it. “Haunted houses don’t _scare_ me. I just don’t really get the appeal of them. They’re not fun to me.” 

“Sounds like you’re just scared,” Robb says with a grin. His brother— Jon, right? — gives him a look. 

“Robb, stop bein’ such an arse,” he says. “If we want to talk about scared, we could just put you on that rollercoaster we passed on the way in.” 

Everyone laughs, Robb looking properly abashed, as they move up in line again, the doors looming right in front of them. 

“How many in your party?” the attendant asks, and Dany feels sympathy for the dead look in their eyes— that’s not to match with the Halloween theme, she knows; it’s just from working customer service. 

“Er, nine, I think,” Margaery answers, doing a cursory head count. The attendant nods, waving them forward. 

“You can go on in.” 

Missandei squeals excitedly, squeezing Dany’s arm as they all crowd into the entrance of the haunted house. She can hear the distant screams of other guests already deep inside, creepy sounds echoing off the walls. Dany looks around— there’s not much here at the entrance, and everything is dark. But vaguely, she makes out battered, rusted signs on the wall, issuing warnings to newcomers— _danger, uncontained zone,_ and— _undead at large?_

“Wait a minute,” Dany says as she grabs Margaery’s arm, her heart suddenly beating faster. “This isn’t the zombie one, is it?” 

Before her friend can respond, they’re pushing through a dark curtain and _truly_ entering the house, and Dany’s question is answered for her. Ripped chain link fence forms a narrow path through the room, lights flickering, and held back on either side of them by the decrepit fence— _zombies._ Creepy, undead hands reach out to them through the gaps, their rotting mouths open wide as they groan for human flesh.

_Ah, fuck._

Dany hadn’t been lying when she told Theon she wasn't scared of haunted houses. She’s _not._ Even if she’s not particularly a fan of them, there are very few things that actually scare her. But zombies— zombies are on that short list. It’s a stupid, irrational fear, she knows, especially since she’s well aware every single one of them in this house is an actor in costume, but _still._ There’s something about them that has always made her body flood with fear, her heart pounds, her palms grow sweaty. 

It probably has something to do with that wildly traumatizing Halloween when she was little, when Viserys had insisted on dressing as a zombie and terrorizing her while trick or treating, but that’s a different story. 

Margaery screams as they round a corner, the fence becoming dilapidated enough that the zombies seem to have broken through, one lunging at them. Dany’s fairly sure the performers aren’t allowed to touch any of the guests, but she still freezes, wide eyed, as it roars at them. 

“Missandei,” Dany whispers, her friend turning to her, eyes going wide as she sees the terror on Dany’s face. “Do _not_ let go of my hand, okay?” 

“Are you alright?” Missandei asks, ducking her head so their friends don’t overhear. 

“Mhm,” Dany says, though from the look in Dei’s eyes she knows it’s not convincing. “Totally okay. Not like my fucking brother made me terrified of zombies or anything. Everything’s _fine.”_

“Oh, love,” Missandei says, trying not to laugh. “I’m sorry. I’ve got you, okay? And it’s all fake, anyways.” 

“I know,” Dany grumbles, following along as she clutches tightly to Missandei’s arm, avoiding looking anywhere but directly ahead. “Still. Tell that to my irrational brain right now.” 

The haunted house progresses— they seem to be in some abandoned safe base for humans, now, that has clearly been overrun. Zombies flood the kitchen, and Dany almost screams when she realizes a few are devouring a fresh victim on the counter. There’s a science lab covered in grime with zombies locked in cages, reaching their rotting hands out towards them, grabbing at guests frantically and making her heart pound.

Dany isn’t sure how there’s any blood left in Missandei’s arm with how tightly she’s clutching it, in all honesty. She’s so focused on _not_ focusing on the zombies around them that she’s caught completely off guard when they round a corner and one leaps right at her, as if it can sense the debilitating fear that’s taken hold of her. 

She can’t help it— she screams. All she can see is its green, decomposing flesh, its nasty teeth as it roars at her, cracked grimy fingernails reaching for her. Dany lets go of Missandei instinctively, stumbling backwards away from it, her back hitting fabric. But she doesn’t care— all she can think of is getting away from the zombie, her heart racing faster than should be possible, so she keeps moving. 

All of a sudden, the zombie is gone, and Dany blinks, looking around. She’s in a new room— did she accidentally go through a curtain? But there’s no clear doorway back to where she was, and most importantly— _no Missandei._

Dany’s panicked fear from before increases tenfold now. Where is everyone? There are people here, but she doesn’t recognize any of them. Wildly, she turns around, looking for a glimpse of Sansa’s red hair, or Missandei’s springy curls, _anything_ she recognizes. 

“Dei?” she calls desperately, but there’s no response. She’s shivering now; this room is freezing, she thinks. Or maybe that’s just her imagination, her blood running cold from the fear of being separated from her group. 

And then she sees inky curls, a bearded jaw that she sort of recognizes. 

“Oh my gods!” she says, pushing through the other guests to reach the man. “Jon!” Panic seizes her again when he looks at her, brow furrowing as if he doesn’t recognize her. “Jon, right? It’s Dany!” He nods, recognition dawning on him. “Thank the gods I found you! Where’s everyone else?” 

“I dunno, that’s what I was just thinkin’,” he says. “I got… there was a curtain, or somethin’, and I ended up here. But I can’t find anyone.” 

“Me too!” she says. “I was backing away from one of the zombies, and all of a sudden they were all gone.” She exhales, trying to calm her racing heart. “Where are we?” 

“I’m not sure,” Jon says, looking around, his handsome face scrunched in confusion. “It doesn’t seem like the room before anymore.” He crosses his arms, looking at her again. “Is it just me, or is it colder?” 

“Okay, I thought that too,” Dany says. She actually takes a look around now— Jon’s right, it looks nothing like the rooms they’d been in before. Instead, everything is covered in white, like… snow? 

“How do we get back?” she asks. Jon looks at her, grimacing. 

“I don’t know if we do. I can’t figure out where that door we came through was. I think we just have to keep going.” He shrugs. “It still has to lead to the exit eventually, aye?” 

“Technically,” Dany mutters. How is she supposed to make it through zombie-land without Missandei to hold her hand? 

Regardless, Jon forages ahead, and she’s not about to lose the only other person here she somewhat knows, so she follows him. 

The deeper along this new path they get, the more evident it becomes that it is snow— clearly they’re supposed to be up north somewhere, sound effects of howling winter winds echoing through the creepy rooms. Despite his northern accent, Jon seems just as on edge as she is in this pseudo-version of his home. 

And then the zombies start appearing. 

They’re just as grotesque as the others, but Dany finds these even creepier, really— they look like soldiers, in varying states of decay. Some are freshly dead, others mostly bones (she’s not sure _how_ the actors have done that, but it looks frighteningly realistic), all of them holding rusted weapons and jumping at them as they continue through the winter horror-scape. 

“Seven hells!” Dany hisses as one lunges right at her from behind an icy bank, its dull blue eyes inches from hers. She blindly reaches for the man next to her, wrapping herself around his arm as she stumbles away from the zombie. It growls at her, arms raised as if to get her, and she squeals, dragging Jon away as fast as possible. 

“You okay?” he asks, looking down at her, and suddenly she’s wildly embarrassed— she barely knows this guy, and she’s clinging to him like he’s her lifeline. But then she meets his eyes, and maybe it’s just her imagination, but he looks equally freaked out. 

“Sorry,” Dany mutters, loosening her grip. “I, uh…” She pauses, considering. There’s really no point in lying to him, she figures. Anyone with a brain who could see her right now would be able to tell she’s petrified. 

“Don’t tell Theon, yeah?” she says, and Jon nods. “I wasn't lying earlier about haunted houses, but zombies… terrify me.” 

Jon exhales, almost smiling. “Oh, gods,” he says, shaking his head. “Aye, me too. They’re fucking creepy as all hells. This is pretty much my nightmare, right now.” 

Dany could laugh with relief, but given their current predicament, that’s not really something her body is physically capable of doing. “Glad I’m not alone, then,” she says, and Jon nods. “Physically too.” 

Jon offers her a hand, and she takes it without hesitation. “C’mon,” he says, his fingers squeezing hers. His palm is warm, a little rough, but it feels so nice against hers, large and steady and grounding her to reality. “We can get through this.” 

“Together,” Dany says with a nod, and they continue on. 

It takes about five seconds for holding hands to turn into Dany clutching his entire arm again, practically tucked into his side. Jon is a good sport about it, letting her hide partially behind him, putting on a brave face as they push through the zombie infested winter scene. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he hisses, the two of them darting away from a particularly gruesome looking undead soldier. “Others take me, how do these people come up with these things?” 

“I don’t know,” Dany says, squealing as they dart away from another one. She’s sure she’s leaving indents in Jon’s arm from clutching it so hard, her heart pounding so quickly in her chest that she’s scared it might just stop working at any moment. She feels sick, like every hidden pair of eyes in the room is pointed right at her, more monsters lurking in the shadows and waiting to pounce when she least expects it. “Where the fuck is the end of all this?” she asks desperately. 

“Gods, we’ve got to almost be there,” Jon says. “It feels like we’ve been trapped in here for hours.” 

“I don’t understand how anyone thinks these things are fun,” she says. They turn another corner, entering a large room, and Dany gasps. 

“Look!” she says, squeezing Jon’s arm, pointing ahead of them. “Exit sign!” 

“Oh, thank fuck,” he says, shoulders sagging. But there is, of course, the issue that the exit sign is across the room, through another horde of zombies waiting to attack them. 

“Alright,” Jon says, looking down at her, taking her other hand as well and squeezing it. “Let’s get out of here.” 

“Gods, yes,” Dany agrees. She inhales deeply, tries to calm her heart down. _It’s all fake, it’s all fake, it’s all fake,_ she chants in her head, scooting in a little closer to Jon. His solid warmth is comforting in this desolate frozen wasteland. “You ready?” 

“Aye,” he says, nodding once before looking ahead with such determination that it takes her breath away. 

They follow the people ahead of them through the icy maze, Dany doing her best not to scream every time a new zombie comes after them. Jon flinches every time, swearing quietly under his breath, but if she wasn’t literally pressed against him, she doesn’t think she’d be able to tell at all. Just looking at him he seems calm and composed, almost stoic. 

“Almost there,” he whispers to her, and Dany nods in relief, her heart still pounding. They round the final corner, the last stretch before the blessed exit door, but ahead of them is… something else. 

He’s not really a zombie, per se, but he’s wearing armor as well, skin frosty and glowing blue eyes like ice. “Holy shit,” Dany says, trembling as she clutches at Jon. He looks just as stunned as the new figure stalks towards them, walking slowly and with purpose. A girl ahead of them screams, cowering when his gaze turns to her. 

Then the monster raises his arms, a sick grin twisting across his face, the wind sound effects howling in Dany’s ear. Her blood turns to ice as from every corner of the room, zombies rise from the ground, emerge from hiding places, come out of the woodwork to surround them. 

“Uh,” Dany says, fingernails digging into Jon’s arm. His other hand comes to her shoulder, clutching at her like she’s his lifeline as well. “Let’s, uh, let’s run?” 

“Good idea,” Jon says, nodding decisively as the two of them hurry through the crowd, darting between the newly-awoken undead. Dany’s eyes are only on the exit as she and Jon avoid the ice zombies lunging for them, muscling through to reach that door. 

Finally, _finally,_ they push through the black curtain, and they’re in an empty room, doors ahead open wide back outside to the park. “Oh, thank the seven,” Dany sighs, Jon laughing hoarsely as her heart returns to a normal speed. “We did it!” 

“Aye, we did,” Jon says, the two of them untangling their limbs and walking normally back out into the night air. “Thank the gods you were with me. I dunno what I would have done if I was all alone.” 

“Same for me,” Dany says. “And, uh, sorry for the indents I probably left in your arm.” She shakes her head, shuddering. “I’m hardly scared of anything, really. But zombies, for some reason…” 

“No, I get it,” Jon assures her. “They’re creepy. The whole decomposing undead thing… I dunno. Sets me on edge, I suppose.” Jon shudders, shoving his hands in his coat pockets as they walk, heading back for the front of the house. Dany looks up at him in the moonlight, and now that she’s not completely fear-stricken, she actually takes a moment to size him up. He really is handsome, with those dark curls and stony grey eyes. She hadn’t been paying as much attention inside, but she can smell his cologne, like fresh snow and pine, and feel his warmth as their arms bump. 

Now her heart starts racing for a completely different reason. 

“Robb and Theon know I can’t stand zombies,” Jon continues, shaking his head. “Those fuckers probably knew which one we were gettin’ in line for and didn’t think to warn me.” 

Dany laughs. “In all fairness, Robb was probably too concerned with impressing Margaery to spare much thought to anything else.” Jon laughs too, looking back down at her. 

“Aye, that’s a good point,” he says. “Still. Seems like the kind of thing he would do anyways, just to mess with me.” 

Dany laughs. “I’m actually scared of zombies because of _my_ brother,” she explains. “When I was four or five, he was one for Halloween. He felt the need to wear the costume all night and follow me around, terrorizing me.” Jon laughs, Dany shaking her head at the memory. “He’s quite a bit older than me, so he would stay up later after I went to sleep. I woke up in my bed in the middle of the night with him next to it, hovering over me, reaching out in the dark like he was going to eat me.” 

“Oh, fucking hells,” Jon says. “I would have fainted, I think.” 

“I screamed so loud, my mother thought I was being murdered,” Dany says, laughing. She wraps her arms around herself to fend off the chill— though she’ll take the cold night air over the zombie haunted house _any_ day. 

“Robb and I did somethin’ like that to Sansa when we were little,” he confesses. “I hid and pretended to be a ghost, and jumped out and scared her. Robb doused me in flour from head to toe.” Dany’s jaw drops, but she can’t help but smile. “Luckily, there doesn't seem to be any long-lasting trauma.” 

“That you know about,” Dany teases. “Just wait, they’ll make us go through a ghost haunted house too, I’m sure. Then we’ll see if you psychologically scarred her or not.” 

Jon grins at her again, and her heart flutters. He has such a nice smile, she thinks, trapped in his eyes as they stroll through the park. She’s suddenly overcome with the urge to grab his hand again, tuck herself into his side, even if there isn’t a zombie in sight. 

Before she can think about that more, or act on any impulses, she hears her best friend’s voice calling her name. “Oh my gods, there you are!” Missandei yelps, Dany turning in the direction of her voice until finally, she sees all their friends. “We were so worried! Where did you go?!” 

“We accidentally went through some hidden door,” Dany says. “Did you see the ice zombies? We ended up in a whole section of them.” 

“Ice zombies?” Robb says, squinting at Jon. “We didn’t see any of that.” 

“It was bloody weird,” Jon says. “It must have been some secret part of the house. But we found each other, and we made it out.” 

“I was so scared,” Missandei says, Margaery coming up behind her and nodding. “All of a sudden you were just gone!” 

“Well, don’t worry, Jon and I survived,” Dany says, throwing a glance back at her new haunted house buddy. He gives her a lopsided grin, and it makes her heart race again. 

“Thank the gods,” Margaery sighs. “Well, we were going to go through the pirate one next— it’s supposed to be really cool! It’s right down that way, I think.” She nods in the direction of the next haunted house, dread filling Dany’s stomach at the realization that this is going to be the rest of her night. 

“Y’know,” Jon says, hands back in his pockets, “I’m not really in the mood for anymore haunted houses.” Robb and Theon look at him with narrowed eyes, judgement clear in their gazes. 

“You scared, Jon?” Theon teases, and Jon rolls his eyes, giving Theon a look. 

“No, I’m not, I’m just over the whole haunted house thing. It’s like Dany said, they’re boring.” He shrugs. “Besides, I couldn’t possibly be as scared as you were in that one. I could hear you shriekin’ like a girl.” 

Robb cackles at that, Theon looking properly abashed. “What d’you think, Dany?” Jon says, turning to her. “You want to sit this next one out too?” 

Her heart races, a smile creeping across her face, even as she tries to contain it. “Mm, you know, I think I will,” she says, glancing at Margaery and Missandei. “Is that okay?” she asks her friends. Margaery just looks confused, and a little disappointed, but Missandei’s grin lets Dany know she realizes _exactly_ what’s happening here. 

“Of course it is,” Missandei says, understanding finally dawning on Margaery as she nods as well. “Go have fun. I’ll text you when we’re done with this one.” 

“Sounds great,” Dany says. “We’ll see you later!” 

“Enjoy the pirates!” Jon calls, looking far too pleased with himself as he and Dany head down a different path, their group of friends disappearing behind them back into the crowd. 

“Okay, that was brilliant,” Dany says, grinning widely at him. “And thanks, too. I really wasn't looking forward to more haunted houses.” 

“I wasn’t really lookin’ forward to them in the first place,” Jon says. “Not a huge fan of jump scares as a source of thrills.” 

“Exactly,” Dany says, nodding, and Jon grins at her. Her heart is fluttering in her chest, butterflies swooping in her stomach. She feels like a schoolgirl, on a date with a cute guy, and it’s _ridiculous,_ but something about Jon just pulls her in. Maybe it’s his smile, or how easy he is to talk to, or the fact that he saved her from facing a haunted house full of zombies all alone. But the prospect of spending the rest of the night here with him— suddenly this whole endeavor is beginning to look up.

“I don’t mind horror movies or anything, but haunted houses just don’t do anything for me,” Dany says. “I don’t get that rush of exhilaration from being scared like some people do. You know what I mean?” 

“Mm,” Jon hums, nodding. He looks back at her again, eyes shining silver in the moonlight. “What _do_ you get that rush from, then?” 

An idea strikes her, her smile lighting up her face. “You want to see?” she asks, and Jon chuckles, shrugging. 

“Aye, why not?” 

Struck with sudden boldness, she grabs his hand. “Let’s go, then.” 

***

“Uh,” Jon says, when they finally arrive in front of the _real_ thing Dany’s wanted to do all night. “You sure about this?” 

Dany laughs at him, eyes falling back on the massive rollercoaster before them. “I’m sure,” she says. “Are _you_ sure? Because to be honest, you don’t look it.” 

Jon shakes his head. “No, I trust you,” he says. “I’m just a bit…” He exhales, glancing at her inquisitively. “That’s a big drop, there.” 

Dany grins. “Just wait,” she says, pulling him through the entrance so they can join the line. 

This one moves much faster than the one for the haunted house, and before too long they’re being shuffled onto the loading platform for the coaster. Jon gives her a look as the gates open and they head over to the seats, hanging below the track, and Dany laughs. It makes him grin too, his eyes shining, and _gods,_ her heart is back to fluttering. 

“This might be worse than the zombies,” Jon says as they pull down the hydraulic harnesses, strapping themselves in. An attendant comes by to check them both, make sure everything is secured. 

“No way,” Dany says. “This is loads better than the zombies. This is actually _fun.”_

Jon grins again. “Whatever you say. But I get to pick the next ride.” He looks up at the track above them, contemplative. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been on a hanging coaster before.” 

Dany laughs, the ride operators giving the all clear. “Just wait,” she says, and Jon has just a moment to look mildly panicked before their seats begin to move, pivoting up so that they’re facing down, bodies parallel with the ground. 

“Dany, what the fuck?” he says, and for a moment she’s truly scared that this is too much, but she looks over at him, and he’s laughing, incredulity in his eyes. “What did you get me into here?” 

“At least there are no zombies?” she says, almost like a question, and Jon grins again. 

“Alright, fair.” 

The ride begins to move, the car gliding out of the loading area and up the hill. “Ah, shit,” Jon says as they go higher and higher, the ground growing small below them. They can see the whole park from up here, the web of lights lining all the different paths, hordes of people gathering around the haunted houses. They look so tiny from high up, nondescript and harmless. 

“Just wait,” Dany says as they near the top, the _tick tick tick_ of the rollercoaster slowing down. “This is the best part!” 

“Are you sure abou—” Jon’s words trail off as they reach the summit, teetering for a moment before racing down the hill before them, faster than a bullet. 

Dany laughs with glee as they drop back towards the ground, wind whipping against her face, stomach swooping as they race down and down and down. Then the track goes back up, sending them in a wide arc over the park path, and her face hurts from smiling so hard, loving every bit of this feeling. 

“Seven hells!” Jon yelps, the coaster racing upwards again in a corkscrew twist, nothing but the night sky and twinkling stars visible for a moment. It feels like she’s not even on a rollercoaster, like she’s flying through the night air by herself, and it’s the _best_ feeling in the world. Dany can feel that swooping weightlessness in her stomach again, the car speeding through another series of loops and hills and drops, until much too soon, they’re cruising back into the loading area, the coaster stopping and their seats pivoting down to their normal positions once again. 

“So?” Dany asks, pushing her harness up and hopping down. Jon shakes his head at her, but she can see he’s fighting back a grin again, eyes shining. 

“That was fuckin’ insane,” he says. “But it was pretty fun.” 

“Ha!” Dany says, victorious. “I told you! So much better than haunted houses.” They head for the exit together, following the other ride-goers out of the gate. “It’s a travesty that my friends dragged me here tonight and had no intentions of going on a _single_ ride.” 

“What a waste,” Jon says, and her heart flutters when he reaches over to take her hand again. “Why even come to an amusement park, then?” 

“I don’t know,” Dany says. “I love them dearly, but sometimes I just don’t understand them. Like why they’re still subjecting themselves to haunted houses.” She looks up at him, meeting his eyes again. “So what’s your ride?” 

“Hm?” Jon asks. She quirks an eyebrow at him. 

“You said you got to pick the next ride.” Jon nods in realization, his fingers squeezing hers. “So what are you subjecting me to?” 

“Y’know, on the way up that coaster, I was really thinkin’ of forcing you onto the flume ride, because I’ve seen how much you’ve been shivering all night. But that might be unnecessarily mean,” Jon admits, “and that rollercoaster was actually pretty fun.” 

“So no flume,” Dany confirms, Jon nodding. “Thank the gods. I might have ditched you for the haunted house crew after that.” 

Jon smiles at her, leaning in closer to her, and she can feel the warmth radiating from his body in the chilly night air, his little grin intoxicating. 

“Well, I certainly don’t want that,” he says, and her heart flutters again. “C’mon. I’ll think of somethin’ else for us to ride.” 

The lack of lines for anything that’s not a haunted house is truly a blessing— Dany is pretty sure they ride almost everything in the park, alternating back and forth on picks. They talk and laugh in between them all, and the more time she spends with Jon, the more she grows to like him— his dry wit, his little grins, his fingers tangled with hers. She almost forgets they came here with other people tonight until her phone vibrates, a text from Missandei lighting up the screen. 

“What is it?” Jon asks, and Dany frowns. 

“They’ve gone through three of the haunted houses now. They’re debating whether or not to do a fourth.” 

“What’s the debate?” he says. Dany shrugs. 

“Missandei feels guilty for abandoning me, probably. She wants to know if we all want to meet up again.” 

Jon laughs. “I assure you Theon and Robb aren’t feelin’ guilt of any kind,” he jokes. “And they can keep goin’ through the haunted houses, if they want.” He looks at her, for a moment adorably bashful. “Er, if that’s alright with you, I mean.” 

Dany’s heart thumps, a grin tugging at her lips. “Mm,” she hums in response. “More than alright with me.” Jon’s answering smile is as bright as the moonlight above. 

“So what’s next?” Dany asks, text responded to and phone stowed again. “I think it’s your ride pick.” 

Jon shrugs. “I could actually use some food,” he says, before his eyes meet hers again, softening. “And I think you could use somethin’ warm.” 

Dany frowns jokingly, crossing her arms. “I’m not used to the cold like this,” she defends. Boldness suddenly taking her again, she smirks at him. “Besides, the gentlemanly thing to do would be offer to keep me warm.” 

Jon’s eyes widen marginally, a smile tugging at his lips, as he crowds in closer to her. “Well, I think we both saw from my pitiful attempt at protectin’ you from the zombies that I’m hardly a gentleman,” he teases. “But I guess I’ll keep you warm all the same.” His arm settles over her shoulder, pulling her in close to him, and being cuddled up against his side— this time _not_ because she’s cowering in fear from undead monsters— feels like heaven. 

“So,” Dany says, peering up at him, and they’re so much closer now, his eyes only inches away, nose almost brushing hers. “Food?” 

“Aye,” Jon says. “Food.” 

There’s a little booth down the path that has heavenly smelling funnel cakes, so they get one to split along with steaming mugs of hot chocolate. They find a bench not far off, sitting with the dessert in between them as they tear off bites with their hands. 

“This is fantastic,” Dany says, taking a sip of hot chocolate as well. It warms her up right to her core, sweet and delicious on her tongue. 

“Mm,” Jon hums in agreement. “Nothin’ like amusement park food in an actual amusement park.” 

There’s another haunted house right down the way, so she shouldn’t be surprised by the higher density of people here, performers as well. Still, it doesn’t seem as stuffy and crowded as it did earlier, now that she’s tucked away with Jon, in their own little world. A performer dressed as a creepy looking clown eyes the two of them as if it might come over and try to shatter their bubble, but Jon glares back with such a steely expression that it turns and retreats. 

“Wow,” Dany says, giggling. “That’s a super power right there. Why didn’t you use that on the zombies?” 

Jon snorts. “Doesn’t work as well when you’re bloody terrified, I’m afraid.” 

They finish off the funnel cake, Jon moving the plate so he can slide closer to her while they sip on their hot chocolate, legs pressed together. “So how long until our friends have conquered all the haunted houses and come looking for us?” Jon asks, voice almost regretful. Dany shrugs. 

“Is it too much to hope they’ll go through some a second time?” She realizes how that sounds a moment too late, but Jon’s grinning at her, ducking his head closer again, and she thinks maybe he feels the same. 

“You know, Jon,” she whispers, their faces so close yet again, and Dany can see every fleck of silver in his eyes, can watch the way his lashes brush his cheek as he looks down at her. “I really thought tonight was going to be a bust until we got stuck facing zombies together.” 

He laughs, a hand coming up to cup her face, card through her hair. “I never thought I’d be glad to be forced into a haunted house,” he says, grinning. “And yet—” 

Dany doesn’t even let him finish, leaning in and finally kissing him. 

He tastes like hot chocolate, every inch of her warming up the moment their lips meet, her hands locking around his neck. Jon hums contently against her lips, pulling her closer like he can’t get enough of her as well. He tilts her head, kissing her deeper, and Dany thinks she could fall into him forever, spend the rest of the night in his arms with his lips on hers and be perfectly content. 

They pull away, breathless, a moment later, a stupid smile to match his stretching across her face. Jon nudges her nose with his, one hand still tangled in her hair, and they just look at each other for a moment, the butterflies back in Dany’s stomach. 

“Thank fuck for zombies,” Jon says, leaning in and kissing her again, Dany laughing against his lips, because honestly, she couldn’t agree more. 

Jon pulls her in closer, his lips warm against hers, her heart racing in her chest, and Dany can’t help but think that maybe Margaery was right. 

This might just be the best Halloween yet. 


End file.
